In an ideal world, most of us will have taken care of our laser hair removal treatment during the autumn or winter before summer comes around. In practice, many of us are far too forgetful to put these ideals into practice, meaning that thousands of people end up having to do those laser hair removal sessions during the summer itself.
Doing your sessions in summer does mean that there are slightly more details to keep in mind, especially when it comes to caring for your skin. Here, we provide some expert tips for getting your laser hair removal sessions done in summer, from factoring in sun avoidance to the importance of taking your skincare seriously.
Factor in sun avoidance
Something that is very important to factor into laser hair removal sessions during summer is sun avoidance. The lasers used to zap your hair follicles also target your skin pigment, meaning that it can both hurt already sensitive skin and leave your skin particularly vulnerable to sun damage.
What this means in practice is that you'll want to avoid the sun both before and after laser hair removal sessions. Most clinics, such as LaserHQ, will suggest that you avoid direct sunlight for at least two weeks after laser hair removal sessions, and will also likely refuse to do a session on skin that is already visibly burned by the sun.
Avoid fake tan & other skin products
Another important thing to remember is that fake tan and self-tanning products can sit on the upper layers of your skin, and interfere with the laser hair removal treatment itself.
You want to avoid applying either of these products in the run-up to your laser hair removal sessions, and if you have applied them, you need to let your technician know before the treatment starts so that they can assess the readiness of your skin and adjust the treatment session accordingly.
Ideally, you'll want to check with the technician a week or so before the treatment about the state that your skin should be in, so that you can avoid any parts of your skin care routine that could interfere with the treatment itself.
Take aftercare seriously
Laser hair removal will leave your skin slightly more sensitive after sessions - this is somewhat inevitable. What's important is that you stick to a strict after-session care regime to help look after those sensitive areas in the immediate aftermath.
While your technician will likely go through the details with you in person, common recommendations include applying an SPF (without alcohol or any scents in it) daily on exposed, treated skin, covering your skin from the sun completely in the days following the treatment, and avoiding intense exercise that might make you sweat for the first couple of days at least.
Doing laser hair removal sessions during summer is slightly more complicated than it is during the less sunny, wintry months, but it is by no means impossible. So long as you avoid the sun and take extra good care of your skin, you should be good to go.
